Treasury accepts the involuntary resignation of the national director of Customs

The Ministry of Finance accepted, effective September 4, 2026, the non-voluntary resignation of Alejandra Victoria Arriaza Loeb from the position of National Director of the National Customs Service. The decision is contained in Decree No. 904, signed in Santiago on September 4, 2026, and published in the Official Gazette No. 44,591 on Thursday, November 5, 2026, Section I, General Norms, under official reference CVE 2893976. The departure takes place two months after the date of the decree, given that the act only appeared in the official bulletin today.

Terms of Termination

The decree provides for the acceptance of the position with an administrative precision unusual for this type of act: it identifies the holder by full name and ID number, and specifies exactly the position that becomes vacant.

• Name: Alejandra Victoria Arriaza Loeb, RUT No. 12,235,682-5.
• Position: National Director, Grade 1 of the Scale of Supervisory Services, of the First Hierarchical Level Management Staff of the National Customs Service.
• Effective date of termination: as of September 4, 2026.
• Disciplinary status: it is established that the former director is not subject to an administrative summary.
• Indemnity: she shall be entitled to the indemnity provided for in Article 154 of DFL No. 29, of 2004, of the Ministry of Finance.
• Funding: the expenses required by the termination shall be charged to the budget of the National Customs Directorate.

The Basis: Exclusive Trust

The decree is based on Articles 24 and 32 No. 10 of the Political Constitution of the Republic and, centrally, on Article 58 of Law No. 19,882, which grants senior public managers the status of employees of exclusive trust of the authority empowered to appoint them regarding removal. This regulation is what allows the termination to operate by non-voluntary resignation rather than through disciplinary channels.

The “vistos” (recitals) of the act also incorporate Articles 148 and 154 of DFL No. 29, of 2004, which establishes the consolidated text of the Administrative Statute; Supreme Decree No. 38, of March 11, 2026, of the Ministry of the Interior; Supreme Decrees No. 1,240, of August 11, 2022, and No. 816, of July 29, 2025, both of the Ministry of Finance; Ordinary Official Letter No. 2081, of September 2, 2026, of the Ministry of Finance; the attached non-voluntary resignation letter; and Resolution No. 36, of 2024, of the Comptroller General of the Republic.

The act bears the signatures of the President of the Republic, José Antonio Kast Rist, and the Minister of Finance, Jorge Antonio Quiroz Castro, and was transcribed for their knowledge by the Undersecretary of Finance, Sebastián Vallebona Espinosa.

Customs operates with an acting director

While the decree was being processed for publication, the leadership of the service continued to be exercised in an acting capacity. Various exempt resolutions from the National Customs Service appear signed by María Jazmín Rodríguez Callejas as Acting National Director of Customs, including exempt resolution No. 98-2026-09723, dated October 8, 2026, which modified the “Transport Companies and Vessel Agencies” and “Vessel Providers” tables of Annex 51-7 of the Compendium of Customs Regulations, and exempt resolution No. 98-2026-06146, dated September 9, 2026, regarding the validity of guarantee bonds securing transit, transshipment, and redestination operations.

In the months prior to the cessation, Arriaza Loeb continued to sign acts as National Director, including, among others, exempt resolution No. 98-2026-03532, dated August 21, 2026, which modified Annex 51-15 regarding “Warehouse Operators,” published in the Official Gazette No. 44,540 on September 2, 2026.

Why it matters

The National Customs Service is the supervisory authority for import, export, and transit operations of goods, and it is responsible for resolutions that establish daily operational criteria for customs agents, transporters, warehouse operators, and authorized economic operators. The removal of its highest authority in the midst of processing a set of modifications to the Compendium of Customs Regulations leaves leadership in acting hands and opens a period of definition regarding who will head the control of Chilean foreign trade.

Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile, No. 44,591, Thursday, November 5, 2026, Section I, General Regulations, p. 1 (official reference: CVE 2893976).